Welch Group LLC Acquires 972 Shares of Caterpillar Inc. $CAT

Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 39,135 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Caterpillar were worth $31,730,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 440.0% in the 2nd quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 27 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Caterpillar by 93.8% during the second quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 31 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Caterpillar during the second quarter worth $36,000. PFS Partners LLC increased its holdings in Caterpillar by 1,750.0% in the third quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 37 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc bought a new stake in Caterpillar in the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.98% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Joseph E. Creed sold 32,401 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $808.98, for a total value of $26,211,760.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 34,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,954,303.90. This represents a 48.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Caterpillar Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:CAT opened at $622.73 on Monday. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $537.08 and a 1 year high of $1,073.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $783.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $807.52. The stock has a market cap of $286.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.43, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The industrial products company reported $7.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.14. Caterpillar had a return on equity of 59.87% and a net margin of 15.21%. The company had revenue of $20.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.95 earnings per share. Caterpillar’s revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Caterpillar Inc. will post 27.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Caterpillar Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, October 26th. Caterpillar’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.58%.

Key Caterpillar News

Here are the key news stories impacting Caterpillar this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Caterpillar’s third-quarter revenue increased 17.3% year over year to $20.68 billion, while adjusted earnings of $7.20 per share exceeded consensus by $0.14. The results reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. CAT Q3 deep dive: capacity expansion and backlog growth shape outlook amid market caution
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter order backlog reached a record $78 billion, extending delivery timelines well into the next decade. Power-generation sales to end users rose 75%, helped by demand from data centers, supporting Caterpillar’s longer-term growth outlook. Caterpillar: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reiterated a “Buy” rating. A separate global-bank analysis argued that the market may be overlooking Caterpillar’s backlog and secular data-center power demand, with substantial upside possible if execution remains strong. Caterpillar Crashed By 25% Over 6 Months But This Global Banking Giant Says 85% Gains Will Come
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist reduced its price target to $1,027 from $1,100 while retaining its Buy rating. The lower target reflects greater caution but still implies significant potential appreciation from recent trading levels. Could Caterpillar Actually Climb 65% After Its Earnings Slide? Or Is Truist Totally Wrong?
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada and Citigroup trimmed their Caterpillar price targets, adding to investor concerns that valuation, cyclical demand and execution risks may limit near-term gains. RBC price target reduction Citi price target trim
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan issued pessimistic forecasts, while an analyst downgrade recently sent CAT shares lower. The cluster of cautious calls is likely weighing on the stock despite the earnings beat. Morgan Stanley forecast JPMorgan forecast

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CAT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on Caterpillar from $800.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $749.00 target price on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Needham & Company LLC set a $980.00 price target on Caterpillar in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,027.00 price target (down from $1,100.00) on shares of Caterpillar in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Caterpillar from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $905.75.

Caterpillar Profile

Caterpillar Inc is a manufacturer of construction, mining, and industrial equipment. Its product portfolio includes excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, motor graders, articulated trucks, and other machinery used in construction, infrastructure development, mining, quarrying, forestry, and related industries. The company also produces diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, generator sets, and other power-generation and transportation equipment.

Caterpillar operates through businesses focused on construction industries, resource industries, and energy and transportation.